The hero of the film (played by Victor Sjöström himself) is a fearless fisherman who, during the Napoleonic Wars with his small boat, tries to penetrate the English Navy to Denmark to bring food to his starving family. He is caught and released only after the war. When he returns home, he learns that his wife and children have died of starvation. Later, during a storm, he rescues the crew of a small ship and realizes that he has rescued the English captain who caught him many years ago ...
